ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – The much-anticipated showdown between LIV Golf and the established golf tours and associations reached a new crossroads this week.

“[Last Wednesday], Official World Golf Ranking received an application from LIV Golf for inclusion in its ranking system. Examination of the application will now commence,” a statement that was released late Tuesday from OWGR officials read.

The world ranking board – which consists of representatives from the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, the USGA, R&A, PGA of America and Augusta National - met Tuesday at St. Andrews, R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers confirmed in his pre-Open Championship press conference on Wednesday.

Players who have joined the Saudi-backed LIV series – a group that includes Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson – have been banned indefinitely from playing the PGA Tour and it seems unlikely the world ranking would embrace the rival league, which would leave the LIV players in a ranking no-man’s land.

Tiger Woods appeared to address the possibility on Tuesday at St. Andrews.

“Some of these players may not ever get a chance to play in major championships. That is a possibility. We don't know that for sure yet. It's up to all the major championship bodies to make that determination. But that is a possibility, that some players will never, ever get a chance to play in a major championship, never get a chance to experience this right here, walk down the fairways at Augusta National,” Woods said. “That, to me, I just don't understand it.”

It remains to be seen if the LIV events, which are 54 holes with 48-man fields, meet the requirements for inclusion in the ranking. The LIV schedule is just eight events this year but is set to increase to 14 tournaments in 2023.